Freight Forwarding Blog

Articles about the export shipping industry

March 24, 2014

Saudi Arabia Overturns Import Limitations

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has decided to re-allow vehicles into the country that have previously been leased. However, vehicles with any reported damage and vehicles older than five years are still not permitted.

In the fourth quarter of 2013, Customs officials in Saudi Arabia began refusing to import vehicles into the country that have ever been leased. This caused the volume of exports from the US to Saudi Arabia to fall dramatically. The “no lease” regulation also limited cars with any damage indicated on any vehicle history report from entering the country.

While the specific regulation on lease vehicles has been eliminated, the country still does not currently allow vehicles with any reported damage from being imported. This regulation is coupled with the “five year rule”, which prevents vehicles older than five years from being imported into Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Arabia remains the number one importer of vehicles in the world, with American cars being among the most popular in the country.

UniWorld offers full service inspections anywhere in the continental US, which can help prevent any Customs issues at your shipment’s destination. Contact us anytime for more information.